Halloween Day and Night
by Scarlet Secret
Summary: When Fenella and Griselda cause trouble once more they are banned from the Halloween celebrations and forced to remain at the castle with Miss Hardbroom. Whilst they wait for the suddenly excruciatingly long night to end things take a suprising turn.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Dedicated to The Restless Dead who may recognise this as an idea that began festering at the beginning of the summer.

* * *

They had really done it this time.

Fenella and Griselda sat before Miss Cackle's office and began to realise for the first time in the five years at the school how forbidding the door looked. They were, for once, not covered in the remains of their trouble-making scheme as this one had not involved exploding-potions or backfiring-brooms that landed you in the forest, but the expressions on their faces showed to the rest of the school that even the infamous duo may have pushed the limit.

They shared scared looks, both of them fully aware that their idea to attempt the advanced spell they found in HB's drawer was perhaps somewhat misguided. And given the Potions Mistress' impression of a fire-breathing dragon, the teachers were of the same opinion.

Little did they know though that inside the Staff Room it was different story. Imogen Drill, who considered herself and was considered by the girls, to be the only teacher who they could really communicate with and the one who would always stand up for them was living up to her image.

"So they practised a spell. Isn't that what you are _always_ trying to get them to do Miss Hardbroom?"

"I would much prefer the girls at Cackles to practice when they are supposed to rather than when the feeling takes them. Practising magic is a risky business…"

"Then why are you always blabbering on about it!"

Imogen Drill also had a reputation for being the only teacher foolish, or brave depending upon your perspective, enough to interrupt Constance Hardbroom when she was in mid-flow. On this particular occasion Davina Bat considered the last few time this had happened and withdrew to the cupboard. Amelia Cackle wondered why it had never occurred to her to buy a cupboard big enough for two. At the moment Constance's mouth was thinning dramatically and her eyebrows had shot to her hairline. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn her deputy-head was shocked, but she knew from experience it would be impossible to tell and that Constance would deny it anyway. The only really telling sign of Constance's mood were here many tones of voice and at the moment she was using the one usually reserved for conversations about Mr Hallow, the Grand Wizard, Mildred Hubble and short-sleeved shirts. If nothing else then Amelia had to admire Imogen's nerve, she was either fearless or stupid. She suspected it was combination of both. Constance, on the other hand, had never found it in her to give the PE teacher the time of day. She fixed the shorted woman with a withering glare.

"Those two need to learn their lesson once and for all. I think they should be banned from the upcoming Halloween celebrations. Headmistress?"

"You can't be serious! The girls love Halloween and all they did was a spel-"

"Imogen. Perhaps in this instance Miss Hardbroom is right to punish them, but I would ask for a less drastic punishment Constance. After all if they have to stay one of us must stay with them."

Imogen felt as though a switch had been flicked in her mind. That, then, was the reason for this punishment. Constance didn't want to spend time with the Grand Wizard. In all honesty she couldn't really blame her, the man was insufferable and the last time they had all been thrown together she and Constance had actually resorted to talking to _each other_ in an effort to get him to leave them alone.

But to deny the girls the party seemed a very selfish thing to do just to escape an especially boring Wizard. Who was a misogynist to boot. And who droned on forever. And always brought some equally arrogant students with him. And who smelt a little bit. Maybe she could volunteer to stay behind herself?

She took one look at Constance's smug expression and knew that the Deputy-Head had already assigned herself to staying behind.

"I would be perfectly willing to remain behind Headmistress if it is in the name of discipline."

"I bet you would." Davina piped up from the cupboard.

Constance glared at the offending furniture and once again Imogen was gleeful that the mad chanting teacher was occasionally observant and brave. The agonisingly controlled expression of anger she wasn't allowed to express on Constance's face was always priceless when it wasn't directed at you.


	2. Chapter 2

Apologies for taking so long on the second chapter. :) Thanks so much for reviews!

* * *

Fenella and Griselda had taken it rather well considering, leading Constance to ponder whether it counted as a punishment if they hadn't wanted to go in the first place. She certainly didn't relish the thought of sitting through another inaccurate lecture about the superiority of wizards from Helibore, so there was no reason to think that reasonably intelligent girls might want to. And she was not above admitting that the two girls in question were more intelligent than most of their age. It was perhaps one of the things that annoyed her most about the two of them. 

When Halloween night came, and the wizards inevitably arrived, Helibore seemed somewhat put out that he was losing three people from his usual audience. Especially as one of them was Miss Hardbroom and Constance herself had always nursed the theory that he enjoyed making her suffer the most of all. He couldn't really argue though and the party of witches and wizards departed, leaving Constance in peaceful bliss.

For about three seconds till her two companions started talking.

It had been a long term so far and Constance was not above admitting to herself that a few good nights of sleep would be very welcome, she would of course never admit this to anybody else. But she had to persevere, half term began at the end of the week and she had promised herself she would not come out of bed until at least Monday. Her mind had become too fuzzy to concentrate terribly well in the last week or so and she couldn't even focus on what the girls were saying. True they were stood at the other end of the courtyard but that was usually no problem at all for her.

_Argh! I need sleep!_

Turning from the departing backs of the rest of the school she gestured to Fenella and Griselda to follow her which they did without any other prompting and she was somewhat grateful that by the time they were right next to her they were silent.

"Alright you two, don't think you've got away with it that easily. Head straight to the potion lab, you're going to be working tonight."

Their faces fell and Constance had to smoother the smirk that rose inside her when she thought of what she'd planned for them to do. Usually in lessons Fenella and Griselda did the work all too easily, nothing much seemed to be a challenge for them and they got bored because of this. And because of their boredom they blew things up. So she had devised a master plan in her mind over the past week of things-to-teach-_those-two-_without-them-getting-bored-and-blowing-up-her-classroom.

They walked glumly towards the classroom with their teacher following and failed to see her rub her hands gleefully before she entered the room behind them. Constance immediately swept to her usual position at the front of the classroom and, probably more out of habit than insolence, Fenella and Griselda took their usual places at the back of the benches. Which left a rather large gap between the three witches.

It became a battle of wills. Constance was not going to ask them to come forward so she didn't have to raise her voice and prevent more pain for her already term-damaged throat and the two friends weren't going to move forward just because they would be able to see better. For a few minutes the girls busied themselves collecting ingredients from the back of the room, all the while knowing and slightly amused by the fact that Miss Hardbroom was glaring at them dreadfully.

"You two needn't look so smug. This is a punishment!"

"Time with you is never a punishment Miss Hardbroom."

They looked so innocent when they turned back around to face her, and she really had no idea which one had said it and she was so very tired that she couldn't find the will to shout.

_Dear sweet mother! There must be something wrong with me! Wide-awake potion, that's the answer!_

Sneering slightly at them and daydreaming of the telling off she would give them when she was back to her full potential Constance shuffled to her shelves in search of her favourite potion. But…_surely not!_ There was none left!

Trying not to look like her entire world had caved around she turned back to Fenella and Griselda, who were staring at her expectantly and preventing her voice from quavering she spoke.

"First things first. Although I'm reasonably pleased with the work you two are producing in my lessons I think there could be some refinement to basics such as Advanced Invisibility and Sleeping Draughts." _And Wide-Awake Potion!_

This wasn't what she had intended for the girls to do tonight but it would have to do until she could set up her own cauldron and brew some wide-awake potion.

Fifteen minutes later and things were peaceful in the potions classroom, two cauldrons bubbling away merrily at opposite ends of the room, both with their owners hovering around adding ingredients with an expert precision. In fact Constance herself was quite shocked at just how accurate the two girls could be when the occasion called for it.

Then several things happened in rapid succession. A scruffy but cared-for tabby cat came hurtling through the open window, closely followed by a sleek, quick black cat. The two cats appeared to have been chasing each other for some time, as they seemed unperturbed by the sudden appearance of people. The tabby cat flew towards the front desk and Miss Hardbroom's potion, skidded to late and crashed into the cauldron with a thud, followed quickly by its companion and their combined efforts knocked it off it's stand. Before Miss Hardbroom herself could react the potion spilt on the floor creating a slight sizzle and on the cats, which created mayhem. The already energetic cats were sent hyperactive and flew past the teacher with such speed she lost her footing and slipped in the potion on the floor. Unable to stop her movement Miss Hardbroom crashed with a sickening crunch through the window, doubled over due to its height and went very still.


	3. Chapter 3

"Erm…what do we do now?"

So far they had managed to slowly pull HB's torso back through the window and lay her on the floor. There was blood but not an excessive amount and so they had concluded that she wasn't seriously injured. But she simply wouldn't wake up and looking at an asleep HB was a lot more unnerving than one might suppose. Any minute they were expecting her eyes to shoot open and to be berated for not knowing any basic first aid. _Where was Miss Drill when you needed her?_

After moving their teacher they had conversed in whispers for several moments, reassuring each other that the fact she was breathing was a clear indicator that she wasn't dead and they wouldn't have to sit in front of Miss Cackle's office again preparing to explain a disaster.

"I dunno. I think she's hit her head…"

"Well something shattered the glass Fenny!"

"Shut up! I'm trying."

"I know, I'm sorry. We need to get her to a bed or something, we can't just leave her here."

"Ok, how are we supposed to lift her? She looks heavy."

"Are you a witch or not?"

"Oh right!"

Before Fenella had cast her spell though he stopped herself.

"What if this counts as trivial?"

"Now's not the time for the witches code!"

"But what if the Foster's effect starts and we blow her up or something."

"She'd kill us."

"Exactly."

"You grab her head, I'll get her legs."

"Actually I'd prefer the non-dangerous end."

"Fenny!"

"Fine, maybe I can sew her mouth together while I'm at it."

"If only."

It wasn't as difficult as they'd anticipated. They'd forgotten that a lack of food and sleep traditionally led to one not being very heavy and between them they carried her upright, deciding that should she come round she wouldn't be very please to being carried like a sack. They'd reached the bottom of the stairs when they felt her stir against them and nearly dropped her in fear of being blamed for the accident.

"What on earth is going on?"

"You hit your head Miss Hardbroom we have to get you to your room."

She didn't answer.

"Miss Hardbroom?"

"Thank you girls."

"No, Miss, where is your room?"

"It doesn't matter, I think I need a potion anyway so we should go to the Headmistress."

"But she won't be back until tomorrow morning, none of them will."

They heard Miss Hardbroom mumble something that may or may not have been a word she shouldn't have been saying in front of students but before they could get over their shock to ask her to repeat herself, she collapsed to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for taking so long and thanks so much for the reviews! Love you guys! 

"Maybe we could get the bed down to her."

"That'll go down really well with the others tomorrow, conjuring a bed next to the door. Besides HB would never live it down and would kill us for it."

"Why do all of your objections end with HB killing us?"

"Because it's the biggest worry for a young witch at Cackles. Wow, that sounds quite clever, I told you we should have written a survival guide."

"If all three of us survive this we will."

They had not been able to move her again but had leant Miss Hardbroom against the wall in a sitting position, not really for her comfort but because she looked more dignified and they thought she'd probably prefer this option. She was not completely unconscious again but kept murmuring to herself and trying to open her eyes before deciding the light was too much.

"She'll be alright. It's Miss Hardbroom, when the others get back tomorrow she'll be right as rain and blaming Mildred for the whole thing!"

Griselda laughed at her friend's prediction but quickly sobered.

"So all we have to do is survive the rest of the day and the night."

"It's eight thirty now, the others won't be back until about five tomorrow morning."

"Eight and a half hours. We could try to teach Mildred's cat how to behave but it might not be enough time."

To both of their astonishment Miss Hardbroom smiled at this.

"Can you hear us Miss?"

"Of course I can."

Her voice sounded unsteady but annoyed and they smiled themselves, she would be fine. If she could move that is.

"Miss, I don't think we can move you and I don't think it's a good idea for any of us to try magic."

In lame protest Miss Hardbroom managed to raise her right hand and indicate she was going to cast a spell but Griselda grabbed her hand softly.

"I don't think it's a good idea. You're not at your best and things are bad enough."

"Are you telling _me_ not to use magic, Griselda Blackwood!"

"You know what Miss Hardbroom, I am."

There was an uncomfortable before Miss Hardbroom smiled again and the girls thought it must have been some kind of record for her.

"Good girl."


	5. Chapter 5

"And the final part of the witches code states that – " 

"Ok, I believe you. You both know the code, you're meant to be keeping me awake not driving me to suicide."

"You don't think much of the code then Miss?"

"The Witches Code is an important and informative document and should be respected at all times."

"But that doesn't answer the question Miss, what do you think?"

"Come on, you can tell us. Real opinion."

"I'm a teacher. I don't do real opinions. I tell my students what I was told."

"But that's ridiculous."

"Yes it is. Can I please rest my brain? Just keep talking to me."

"About what?" She managed a glare.

"We'll tell you a story."

"Oh no I can tal-"

"Shhhhh, we're telling you a story."

Reeling from the fact that her best friend had just shushed Miss Hardbroom of all people, Fenella considered if they knew enough stories to fill the remaining seven and half hours.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Really sorry about the delay everyone, I will try my very best to update this now, but Uni has driven me mad!

--

"And Frodo went with the elves to…Gris, where did they go?"

"No idea, I'd fallen asleep by then."

"Well they went…to a better place."

"How nice for Frodo. Why have you told me that ridiculous story?"

"Well it killed an hour."

"Fenella Feverfew, it nearly killed me. You actually read this tripe?"

"No, my brother made me watch the films with him."

During the course of the hour it had taken Fenella to tell the story Griselda had run upstairs to stock up on pillows and blankets which they had all arranged themselves in and on, settling in for a long, sleepless night. Gris had taken over the telling of the story so Fenny could go to the kitchens and steal some contraband food, which Miss Hardbroom had not approved of at all, but she was too weak to protest when Fenella had practically forced some bread and cheese down her throat. Her vision hadn't improved and she still didn't feel strong enough to get up but listening to the girls talk was keeping her awake and she had a feeling that this was the best way to stay before she got back to her bed, as she knew once asleep she would probably sleep for days.

Of course it meant she had to listen to something about a ring, elves and something called a hobbit which made her wonder about the sanity of people without access to magic.

"No more stories please girls. Tell me about you plans."

"What plans?"

"What you want to do once you leave Cackles and Wierdsisters."

Fenella and Griselda for the first time in Constance's memory went silent. They shared a quick glance and both seemed to be struggling to remember how to speak.

"Is there something wrong?"

Eventually Griselda, always the slightly braver one of the two, found the courage to answer.

"We had thought about setting up our own school…we just had some ideas about what we'd change and what we'd keep the same."

The girls were used to HB's stares but this one was unreadable and so they continued to talk.

"Well, even you can't deny that Cackle's isn't without its faults?"

"I am aware of this and I'm interested as to what you consider the faults to be."

"Well…we'd rather not say."

"I see."

For a moment the girls were certain they saw the beginnings of moisture in their teacher's eyes but it must have been a trick of the light because when they looked back at her eyes they were still closed in a groggy expression.

None of them spoke for some time after that.


End file.
